The recession has been hard on most small business owners, and, when combined with the music industry's growing pains in the digital age, it has been particularly brutal for independent record labels. Jello Biafra, the owner and operator of Alternative Tentacles, says that he's had to make hard cuts at his label, particularly with regard to staff. And though he realizes that the economy is partly to blame, he also heaves a few rocks toward the major labels and the RIAA, who he characterizes as partnered mainly to keep lawyers employed. Biafra freely admits that he's at a loss as to how to save the music industry, but that his best guess is a subscription service. Such a service might be better than the current broken model, but once again would leave out smaller labels, like the one run by Jello Biafra. Those capitalist pigs must be having quite a laugh over this one. [Spinner]